Prepsters will bang on about you not being ashamed of taking PrEP, its part of the “toolshed” of prevention and should not be stigmatised. However to get on PrEP you have to prove you are “at risk”. This means you are a persistent barebacker who has multiple partners in short periods of time, have been riddled with STIs and are probably a chemsex addict.
In truth PrEP is “care in the community” for the self harming chemsex addict whose sexual kicks are risk taking. In gay slang terms the “bugchaser”. Even though PrEP side effects long term aren’t known and the drugs are used to treat HIV positive gay men (they have no choice), treating the self harming barebacker will help transmission of the virus. Its not about protecting the individuals sexual health. It’s about protecting the gay community.
As this health practitioner states PrEP is about getting the thicko barebacker to take responsibility for their sexual health and wear a condom, give up chemsex and deal with their other “issues”. A hard task as the gay community is constantly fed this “no stigma”, “no judgement”, “no slut shaming”, anything goes agenda. That PrEP and barebacking are legitimate “lifestyle choices” and should not be “stigmatised”. However that’s certainly not how the medical profession sees it.